Rodney Village center poised for an upswing

“Early 2009 will see a difference in the Rodney Village Shopping Center,” said Lawrence E. Roy, leasing agent for Keller Williams who has been working with the shopping center tenants. “I’m shooting on filling up the spaces … I’ve got more people coming in if I can get the building ready. We’re going to shuffle some tenants into bigger spaces.”

Leading the change is Harbor Freight Tools — billed “America’s Favorite Tool Store” on its website. Its Feb. 3 grand opening will encompass 12,600 square feet at the north end of the shopping center.

The company has 315 stores across the United States and stocks more than 4,000 items. A wide selection of tools with competitive pricing has made it a popular destination for tool enthusiasts and do-it-yourselfers, said José Moore, store manager for the new Dover site.

“We offer 100% satisfaction guarantee on everything we sell. That’s why our customers are so loyal, they know we are committed to them,” he said.

The Rodney Village Shopping Center was built circa 1968 as the first shopping center in the Dover area. It was originally anchored by W.T. Grant’s department store, which took up the entire south section and a McCrory’s department store filling a large part of the adjoining branch. Those anchors were joined by some downtown Dover stores such as Danneman’s fabric store, and included a grocery store and pharmacy.

With the construction of the Blue Hen Mall as an alternate shopping destination and consequential exodus of Grant’s, the shopping center went through a period of decline. A revitalization effort took place in the mid-1970s when the former Grant’s was divided into several businesses including a multiplex movie theater, a transmission shop and furniture store. But with the exit of the movie theaters in the early 1990s the shopping center entered another slow period.

Even the addition of anchor Ollie’s a few years back has failed to have much of an economic impact on the shopping center.

Wilson Reed brought Delaware Sewing Center to the shopping area in 1998 after occupying space at a few Dover area locations. He welcomes the new hardware store and believes it will be an asset not only to the shopping center but the Dover area itself.

    Rodney Village Shopping Center is poised for change with a second anchor store preparing to open in February. The new store will join two other recently opened stores and another that has relocated to a larger location.

    “Early 2009 will see a difference in the Rodney Village Shopping Center,” said Lawrence E. Roy, leasing agent for Keller Williams who has been working with the shopping center tenants. “I’m shooting on filling up the spaces … I’ve got more people coming in if I can get the building ready. We’re going to shuffle some tenants into bigger spaces.”

    Leading the change is Harbor Freight Tools — billed “America’s Favorite Tool Store” on its website. Its Feb. 3 grand opening will encompass 12,600 square feet at the north end of the shopping center.

    The company has 315 stores across the United States and stocks more than 4,000 items. A wide selection of tools with competitive pricing has made it a popular destination for tool enthusiasts and do-it-yourselfers, said José Moore, store manager for the new Dover site.

    “We offer 100% satisfaction guarantee on everything we sell. That’s why our customers are so loyal, they know we are committed to them,” he said.

    The Rodney Village Shopping Center was built circa 1968 as the first shopping center in the Dover area. It was originally anchored by W.T. Grant’s department store, which took up the entire south section and a McCrory’s department store filling a large part of the adjoining branch. Those anchors were joined by some downtown Dover stores such as Danneman’s fabric store, and included a grocery store and pharmacy.

    With the construction of the Blue Hen Mall as an alternate shopping destination and consequential exodus of Grant’s, the shopping center went through a period of decline. A revitalization effort took place in the mid-1970s when the former Grant’s was divided into several businesses including a multiplex movie theater, a transmission shop and furniture store. But with the exit of the movie theaters in the early 1990s the shopping center entered another slow period.

    Even the addition of anchor Ollie’s a few years back has failed to have much of an economic impact on the shopping center.

    Wilson Reed brought Delaware Sewing Center to the shopping area in 1998 after occupying space at a few Dover area locations. He welcomes the new hardware store and believes it will be an asset not only to the shopping center but the Dover area itself.

    “It’s definitely something that the area doesn’t have,” Reed said. “People want a hardware store where they can buy a bolt or nut or screw and not have to buy a package of something when you only need one or two ... From what I’ve heard about them they’re like an old-time hardware store.”

    When Harbor Freight opens its doors, it will join — among the shopping center’s newer tenants — Fashion Mall, opening last fall; A-1 Cleaners that moved in Dec. 9 from its nine-year location on Route 13; and Nail Perfection which switched locations within the shopping center going from 700 to approximately 1,000 square feet, Roy said.

    With the addition of Harbor Freight, Roy said the shopping center will be approximately 3/4 full. That will leave approximately 25,000 square feet that he’s working to fill.

    With that, the shopping center could be making a comeback.

    “There’s always been an ebb and flow,” Reed said. “Every once and awhile you’d have two or three move out and it would go downhill and then it would come back. But it’s always been one that had a variety of stores.”